The three days at the CDC Conference was a whirlwind of mid-week fun. The team was there to live-tweet CDC conference happenings + their projects around First Nations health and social media promotion. Many attendees recognized and were aware of our projects and campaigns. We did live tweeting & video interviews throughout the conference, so stay tuned for our vlog post highlighting the event. We asked people what community health meant to them & what community health looked like in First Nations communities. We also interviewed Dr. Evan Adams who explained the connection between community health and the new First Nations Health Authority. The wellness model takes a mind, body, spirit approach.

Day 2 at the First Nations Health conference today started with a presentation on vaccines, which we were of course interested in because of our work with ImmunizeBC. (See Kat Dodds holding a few of our I Have Immunity portfolio pieces to the right.)

The topic of immunizations has been in the media a lot recently, particularly with Simon Fraser University recently coming under fire for allowing an anti-vaccine conference to take place at their Harbor Centre campus.

Andrea Derban explored some of the common myths and misinformation in the public today about vaccines, including the idea that vaccine's "cause" autism, and the idea that the reactions to vaccines that some people get is evidence of the vaccine delivering the full disease itself.

Looking at the actual science behind vaccines, the presentations today explored some of this widespread misinformation, and suggested that we need to think about the way that we talk to people about immunizations.

The way that we communicate with people - as health care service providers, (and social marketers!) is critical! Polarizing the conversation is not always productive - it's not just about "us versus them". The presentations today implored health care providers to remember that it is their responsibility to promote the most optimal health in their communities, and that immunizations are one of the tools that they have to do so.

After the jump, hear Vancouver's Tyson and Dawn Wozniak tell their story about how, as "natural parents," they decided not to vaccinate their first child. But when their second child arrived, they did more research - and had a change of heart.

David Ng is a Hello Cool World veteran with experience going back a decade. David first worked with us when he was just 14 years old as a participant in the youth advisory group for the sexual health education program Condomania. Now an accomplished videographer passionate about the issues of gender and power, he is currently on sabbatical in South Africa while he pursues a Masters in Gender Studies with a focus on international development.

Welcome Wagon + Announcement

From Guest Blogger Maria Martin

Hi everyone!

My name is Maria Martin and I am a new intern at Hello Cool Worldheadquarters. Similar to my predecessor, Linh Tra, I, too, am aNursing student at Vancouver Community College. I am in my fourth yearand currently doing my public health clinical rotation. I am doing aproject for HCW about health promotion as part of my clinical so staytuned and curious.

Hello Cool World team will be at the Community Health AssociatesMeeting on March 12-14. We are invited to the conference to displayour work with First Nations on health promotions so come by our tableto chat, check out our portfolio, or be part of our live broadcast. Wewill be at the helm of the social media component, tweeting andblogging live. Follow us on Twitter (#CDC2013, #FNHealth) Facebook, or on our site.

We are also doing interviews so this is an opportunity to plug yourwork or projects and meet the Hello Cool World team. Anyone attendingfeel free to come by our table to learn more about whom we are, whatwe do, and what Hello Cool World can do for you or your organizations.Let’s connect and stay cool. MM

Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.

What a great party! Thank you to everyone who came to eat, drink, learn, and discuss with us! We had a wonderful time. Besides the worldwide livestreaming audience, more than sixty people RSVPed to our event (and a few extra dropped in to say hello!)

We heard from four of our wonderful campaign partners: Ian Roe of I Have Immunity; Nimisha Mukerji of 65_RedRoses; Lisa Despins of the LACE Campaign; and Cindy Masaro of Dating Confidential. Each of them spoke about the value of social media in their work, whether it's supporting advocates, telling stories, or sharing information.

We are fortunate at Hello Cool World to have such an amazing team with diverse talents and backgrounds, but connecting at #SMWhealth with such an array of innovative, dedicated people who are all integrating social media into their health promotion activities was truly inspiring. I feel a passion energy for the work that Hello Cool World does because for the first time I was face-to-face with the members of the growing community of tech-savvy health advocates. I'm glad to know that there are so many of us, and that the nature of our work with social media allows us to communicate and share with an ever-expanding network.

Michelle is a freelance writer and anthropologist with a Master of Public Health from UBC. Her passions are promoting health and building community. She's worked in grassroots community organizations in Vancouver, Victoria and Oceania.

Hello Cool World has been at the forefront of grassroots health campaigns for a decade, and we can't tell you how excited we are for this afternoon. Download the program to see exactly what you have to look forward to, and if you can't catch us in person, join us through our livestream.

Bella is the newest addition to Hello Cool World, enlisting for the cause at the end of 2010. A graduate of BCIT's Broadcast Communications for TV program, she's worked in all aspects of production and has a knack for new media & technology.